Great info @Dr.Kamal!

Despite the fact that leadership has been a topic of interest to historian and philosophers since ancient times, it was only around the turn of the century that scientific studies began. Johnson (2002) pointed out that rigorous study of the leadership phenomenon began with the work of sociologist Max Weber in the early part of twenty century and that the study of leadership can be divided into three stages.

Each stage can be characterized by a prominent research strategy and focus of interest. The earliest stage attempted to identify traits of leaders, and the next stage focused on the behavior of leaders. The third stage centered on the fit between leadership style and the situation a leaders face (Tirimizi, 2002).

Inconsistent findings and methodological problems resulting in increasing dissatisfaction with trait, behavioral, and contingency based leadership research had set the stage for a paradigm shift in leadership research. Leadership theories in this new paradigm differ from earlier theories in that they seek to explain extraordinary leadership and performance beyond expectations (Paul et al., 2002). This shift was catalyzed by the publication in 1978 of an influential book by Burns entitled “Leadership” which conceptualized the differences between ordinary (transactional) leaders and extraordinary (transformational) leaders (Barnett et al., 2001)

One of the models of transformational leadership is Kouzes and Posner’s model in transformational leadership: The conceptualization of the Kouzes and Posner’s leadership model, which they conducted over almost 20 years, suggested that leadership is not a position, but a collection of practices and behaviors. These practices serve as guidance for leaders to accomplish their achievements or to get extraordinary things done (Kouzes and Posner, 1995). These practices seem to be essential components of the concept of transformational leadership. They were developed through intensive research on current leadership practices and have been recognized by many researchers as truly representative of highly effective leadership practices (Taylor, 2002).

The practices of transformational leadership regarding to Kouzes and Posner are: challenging the process, inspiring a shared vision, enabling others to act, modeling the way, and encouraging the heart (Kouzes and Posner, 1995, 2002):

Challenging the process:

Challenging the process is a way of life for transformational leaders. By either creating new ideas or recognizing and supporting new ideas, leaders show willingness to challenge the system in order to turn these ideas into actions and to get new products, processes, and services adopted. They seek out challenging opportunities that test their skills and abilities and look for innovative ways to improve their organizations.

Transformational leaders are willing to change the status quo. They experiment and take risks with new approach. Learning, for them, is a life long behavior. In order to succeed, leaders must be prepared to make mistakes because every false step opens the door to a new opportunity. Instead of punishing failure, they encourage it. They learn from their mistakes rather than shift the blame on someone else (Kouzes and Posner,

1995, 2002).

Inspiring a shared vision:

Inspiring a shared vision is vital for bringing people in any organization together to foster a commitment to a shared future they seek to create. Transformational leaders passionately believe that they can make a difference by envisioning the future and creating an ideal and unique image of what the organization can become. They inspire such a vision in their followers with a positive and hopeful outlook. They generate enthusiasm and excitement for the common vision from others through genuineness and skillful use of metaphors, symbols, positive language, and personal energy (Kouzes and Posner, 1995, 2002).

Enabling others to act:

Enabling others to act is fostering collaboration and empowerment. Enabling others to act means involve others in planning and give them freedom of choice in the decision-making process. Enabling others to act allows followers to do their job and to realize their full potential. Transformational leaders strive to create an atmosphere of trust and human dignity and to help each person feel capable and powerful. They consider the needs and interests of others and let them feel as if they carry ownership and responsibility in the organization.

Modeling the way:

Modeling the way means specifically leaders go first. Transformational leaders set an example and build commitment through daily acts that create progress and momentum. They create a program of excellence and then set the example for others to follow. To model the way leaders need to have a philosophy, a set of high standards by which the organization is measured, a set of principles concerning the way people should be treated and the way goals should be pursued that make the organization unique and distinctive. These leaders show by example that they live by the values they advocate. They believe that the consistency between words and deeds build their credibility as transformational leaders (Kouzes and Posner, 1995, 2002).

Encouraging the heart:

People often need encouragement and motivation to achieve the goals set by the organization. Successful leaders have high expectations for themselves and their employees. Their credibility is based on their record of achievements, dedication, and daily demonstrations of what and how things need to be done. By influencing employee motivation, leaders attach rewards and recognition to job performance.

Transformational leaders play a special role in the celebrating of individual or group achievements, because they are the most prominent personality in the organization and serve as role models. By celebrating achievements together, leaders let people feel that they are part of the group and part of something significant. When leaders encourage their employees through recognition and celebration, they inspire them to perform better (Kouzes and Posner, 1995, 2002).